What to bring to a dragon fight as a STR-based combatant?

[Hooligan]

TL;DR We will be fighting Dragons, what magic items would you want as a str-based melee character going into such a fight, both to maximize your strengths and to overcome tactical challenges (fear, mobility, lack of ranged damage, enemy magic, breath weapons)?

Background: A battle with a dragon looms in the party's future. Technically it is optional - most things are in our sandbox game - but narratively the party and the dragon are so ensnared in each other's business that it is all but certain. Definitely with a Young Red and possibly with an Adult Black (they would be separate fights & with rest opportunities in between thank god).
Currently: We have several weeks until the fight. We are in a capital city where we have been doing minor quests for xp & gold to increase our might as much as possible. We will hit level 10 and possibly 11 during this time. We play in a high-magic setting where magic items may be purchased from vendors. A particular vendor on a particular day might not have exactly what you want, but over the course of weeks could acquire it.
Wealth: ~5-7k gp per group member, with the potential to accrue more by doing minor quests. Item prices are common 100, uncommon 500, rare 5k, v. rare 20k. Each member could definitely buy at least 1 rare item and perhaps 2 before the battle. If we pooled resources we could buy a very rare item. Current rare items possessed by the party: +2 longsword, cube of force, ring of protection, mace of disruption.
Party: 9 Life Cleric, 9 Divination Wizard, 9 Vengeance Paladin, and I play a 9 Totem Barbarian. We both use swords and shields.


Our 2 STR-based melee characters are concerned about overcoming fear, mobility/flight, poor ranged damage, enemy magic, breath weapons while also maximizing their output in combat. What magic items would you want to have given such a budget?

[Hooligan]

In before anyone says "a backup character sheet."

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

Winged boots for mobility issues. Uncommon
Ring of spell storing for the rest. Rare. Have it filled with absorb elements, heroism, feather fall and maybe some healing words. Longstrider would also be good to have.

[KorvinStarmast]

Make sure to load Calm Emotions into the spell storing ring to get past the fear of a dragon/frightening presence for the Adult Black Dragon Flight. I need to look up the scrolls of protection, which are consumables, but I am away from books at the moment.

Another thought is to have the cleric cast a protection from energy spell into the ring; I think that makes the spell last the whole hour.

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

Make sure to load Calm Emotions into the spell storing ring to get past the fear of a dragon/frightening presence for the Adult Black Dragon Flight. I need to look up the scrolls of protection, which are consumables, but I am away from books at the moment.

Honestly I'd never looked at calm emotions before, in a dragon fight I feel like that's a trap option, you lose concentration and the fear comes back where as heroism it's gone and you get temp hp every round.

[No brains]

Theoretically they always attack with disadvantage, but a net is a str-based attack that can help against a large dragon. Negating their ability to fly for even one turn can make some good openings, especially if they fall a good distance/ into another trap.

Likewise, a hunting trap can nab a dragon with it's dexterity-based save. It is strength-based to escape, so it won't hold the dragon for long, unless you give it 'better' things to do with its action.

If you've got nerves of steel, you won't even need a fancy item to grab the dragon. A grapple can still give you precious turns with the dragon in reach. It will make you a prime target for the breath-weapon, but clever position could mean only you get hit with it, wasting most of its potential.

If your wizard has wall of stone, that could be the last spell you ever need against a young red dragon. It uses a dex save to escape and if the dragon fails, it can be sealed in with gaps too small for it to escape from. These small gaps could even give up to three-quarters cover from its breath weapon. The dragon can eventually chip through the walls, but it needs to use its claws and bite to do so, as its breath weapon only damages creatures. Even if the dragon escapes, you can still take advantage of the cover the wall grants. I don't remember if it's big enough to encase a huge dragon though.

Even if its not your usual style, a horse and a reach weapon can help you reach 15' upward, taking advantage of the dragon's swoops. Get some sauce for barbecued horse afterwards. It is still a USE for some of that gold you're willing to spend.

[KorvinStarmast]

Honestly I'd never looked at calm emotions before, in a dragon fight I feel like that's a trap option, you lose concentration and the fear comes back where as heroism it's gone and you get temp hp every round. But if it is cast from the ring of spell storing, I think that the concentration is moot; it just lasts the whole hour. Whoops, not it doesn't. It is not the same as from a Glyph of Warding. Never mind.

[Unoriginal]

Bringing a lot of javelins help.

[ImproperJustice]

Fighting Dragons really boils down to managing:

Their high mobility
Their status effects: Fear and Prone
Protection: from their breath weapons especially
and being ready for a battle of attrition

[the secret fire]

Three words: Tavern ****ing Brawler.

[GlenSmash!]

Dwarven Thrower if your are a dwarf or the DM will hand-wave the dwarven requirement.

[MaxWilson]

Purple Worm venom and a longbow. Apply poison to arrows. Now your ranged damage is no longer bad.

Hunt down Purple Worms beforehand if necessary.

Can substitute wyverns or other poisonous animals in a pinch.

Also, try to get your hands on a flying mount like a Pegasus or Griffin. Winged Boots are okay too, if magic items are easier to come by than creatures.

Also try to control the terms of engagement, see if you can get it to attack you somewhere where flying won't be an issue. Do your best with psyops and taunting and disguise. Maybe attack its treasure hoard to force a ground confrontation.

[Malifice]

TL;DR We will be fighting Dragons, what magic items would you want as a str-based melee character going into such a fight, both to maximize your strengths and to overcome tactical challenges (fear, mobility, lack of ranged damage, enemy magic, breath weapons)?

Background: A battle with a dragon looms in the party's future. Technically it is optional - most things are in our sandbox game - but narratively the party and the dragon are so ensnared in each other's business that it is all but certain. Definitely with a Young Red and possibly with an Adult Black (they would be separate fights & with rest opportunities in between thank god).
Currently: We have several weeks until the fight. We are in a capital city where we have been doing minor quests for xp & gold to increase our might as much as possible. We will hit level 10 and possibly 11 during this time. We play in a high-magic setting where magic items may be purchased from vendors. A particular vendor on a particular day might not have exactly what you want, but over the course of weeks could acquire it.
Wealth: ~5-7k gp per group member, with the potential to accrue more by doing minor quests. Item prices are common 100, uncommon 500, rare 5k, v. rare 20k. Each member could definitely buy at least 1 rare item and perhaps 2 before the battle. If we pooled resources we could buy a very rare item. Current rare items possessed by the party: +2 longsword, cube of force, ring of protection, mace of disruption.
Party: 9 Life Cleric, 9 Divination Wizard, 9 Vengeance Paladin, and I play a 9 Totem Barbarian. We both use swords and shields.


Our 2 STR-based melee characters are concerned about overcoming fear, mobility/flight, poor ranged damage, enemy magic, breath weapons while also maximizing their output in combat. What magic items would you want to have given such a budget?

I'm presuming you're a Bear totem barbarian so no need for a potion of fire/ acid resistance. Get them for the rest of the party though.

For magic items you cant go past Winged boots [uncommon - only 500gp!]. There is your flight for dirt cheap.

Get some XP into the Paladin and get him a pair of boots as well and stay close - at 10th level he gets Aura of Courage granting you both immunity to fear. Stay close to him for that, plus his + Cha to saves.

Other than that, have the cleric cast Bless and the wizard Haste either you or (preferably) the paladin.

[Malifice]

Purple Worm venom and a longbow. Apply poison to arrows.

At 2000 gp per arrow, that's a bit rich.

Ranged attacks mean no rage. No rage means no damage resistance. Plus; he's told you he's strength based, doesnt have the archery F/S and thus is probably only a 50/50 chance to hit with an arrow, even against a young red dragon.

It may have spells (hello shield) making that not the greatest option.

[Draken]

You could see with your DM about getting your hands on a Harpoon. Which is basically a javelin with a rope (Rules can be found on the entry for the merrow in the monster manual).

For a trickier but stronger variant, you could try to obtain an Oaken Bolter clockwork (MToF construct), it would probably be pretty useful in general.

[KorvinStarmast]

With a Monk ... stun becomes an asset.

Keep the Vengeance Pally alive however you can. His smites and his Vengeance features should help with nova damage if he stays alive. Whatever you do, keep him alive.

[mormon_soldier]

Cloak of protection is a relatively easy way to boost saves and ac. It's just +1, but it covers everything.

[CTurbo]

Immunity to fear, advantage on Dex saves, Belt of Giant Strength, Sentinel feat

[MaxWilson]

Immunity to fear, advantage on Dex saves, Belt of Giant Strength, Sentinel feat

Con saves too. White and green dragon breath is resisted by Con saves.

Part of me wants to say, "Bring life insurance." In D&D terms, that's diamond dust.

[Demonslayer666]

Several healing potions/Keoghtom's Ointment are rather useful. Potions of Fire and Acid Resistance.

I also agree with the cloak of protection, and also a ring of protection or a Stone of Good Luck.

Even if your long range damage isn't good, make sure you have a bow and plenty of arrows. You can supplement your ranged attacks with Javelins of Lightning and a Wand of Magic Missiles.

[WereRabbitz]

Bring a Ancients Paladin and stay within 30ft of him...

Seriously though look for ways to stay in range of the dragon especially if it's a flyer, but a Ancient Paladin will help negate many of those bad rolls.

[MaxWilson]

Bring a Ancients Paladin and stay within 30ft of him...

Seriously though look for ways to stay in range of the dragon especially if it's a flyer, but a Ancient Paladin will help negate many of those bad rolls.

Ancients Paladin auras do nothing special against dragon breath. Sure, you get the same saving throw bonus that you would from any paladin, but you don't get resistance to dragon breath damage because dragon breath isn't a spell.

[Foxhound438]

all the "bring x class" advice makes me chuckle. boy is hindsight 20/20

But for the question at hand, as others said first step is winged boots. Unfortunately you have a really big downside in that they aren't a hovering fly speed, so if the dragon baits you high into the air it can use its wing attack legendary action (if its big enough) or just a shove to knock you prone, and then it's falling damage city. Telling your wizard to bring feather fall seems like an easy enough option, but a smart dragon might see them use reaction and breathe fire on them before they get their reaction back, so no absorb elements in that scenario.

Against fear you do have a paladin, so if it becomes an issue heroism is a quick and easy counter.

Enemy magic gets a little trickier, since the dragon or if it has a mage ally or whatever else casts some kind of wall of force effect around one of you you're in a pretty bad spot. The paladin would be able to misty step out of anything for pretty much free, as would the wizard, but the barbarian and cleric are tougher. There's a cloak in the DMG that I forget the name of which allows you to cast dimension door once per day, so maybe grab a couple of those. Against anything else you do have 3 people capable of dispel magic, so you don't have to worry too hard.